Genealogy Resources

Special Notices:
All Library branches will be closed on Sunday, March 31st for Easter.

Genealogy Resources

The following are resources available through KCKPL's Kansas Collection and Kansas Room, which is located in the Main Library at 625 Minnesota Ave. We also have included additional resources that may be helpful when researching genealogy.

Library Genealogy Resources

These resources are available at the library. Patrons can access the Ancestry Library Edition at the following branches: Main, South, Turner, West Wyandotte.

  • Ancestry Library Edition (in-house access only--come to a library building to access Ancestry)
  • Cemetery records.
  • County, family and local histories.
  • Federal census for the entire state of Kansas from the Territorial Period in 1855 through the 1920 Census.
  • Genealogical periodicals.
  • How-to manuals for tracing family history.
  • Kansas Census, the census that the state of Kansas took five years after each federal census. It is available for the entire state for 1865 and 1875. It is available for Wyandotte County, Kansas from 1885 through 1925.
  • Newspapers on microfilm include The Kansas City Star and Times from 1880 through the present, The Kansas City, Kansan from 1916 to the present, The Wyandotte Herald and The Kansas City, Gazette (late nineteenth century newspapers), The Kansas City Call, an African-American newspaper from 1915 to the present and some short run newspapers published in Wyandotte County.
  • Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps on microfilm from 1885 through 1908 and maps for Kansas City, Kansas.
  • Yearbooks for the Kansas City, Kansas High Schools. Find digital copies by clicking here.

Online Databases


Additional Online Resources

The following are online resources that can help with genealogy research.

Site Name/Link Description
Cyndi's List Cyndi's List is a genealogy research site. In place for 20 years, Cyndi's List is free for everyone to use and serves as a starting point when researching genealogy online.
Ethnic Heritage Research Research on Ethnic Heritage ties in with the National Archives. The site provides highlights from its collection along with a link to Immigration Records.
FamilySearch FamilySearch is a nonprofit family history organization dedicated to connecting families across generations.
National Archives & Records Administration - Genealogy Resources This is a link to NARA's resources for genealogists and family historians.
North American Genealogy Resources This site provides genealogy related information for various States and Provinces.
Soundex Coding System The Soundex system is a method of indexing names in the 1880, 1900, 1910, and 1920 US Census. Soundex can also aid genealogists by identifying spelling variations for a given surname.
U.S. Census Genealogy Information tied back to older census data for research purposes.